Grand Traverse County commissioners will vote today (Wednesday) to formally become part of the region’s new metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and approve its bylaws – joining nearly a dozen other local municipalities and groups that have already signed on, enough to make the MPO official and start operating this fall. Commissioners will also vote today on a resolution to bond up to $12 million for the Grand Traverse County Road Commission to build a new facility in Kingsley and on an 86th District Court request to increase the number of probation officers due to unmanageable caseloads.

MPO
As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the Traverse City area has reached the population threshold required to become a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) – a status that means influx of more federal dollars for road projects and the ability for local governments and agencies to come together on one board to make regional transportation decisions. Grand Traverse County commissioners will vote today to officially join that MPO and approve its bylaws.

The Traverse Transportation Coordinating Initiative, an existing regional board, will morph into the intermunicipality committee for the MPO. Local units of government that agree to be part of the committee will each have a representative seat on the committee and a voice in area transportation planning. Once up and running, the committee will begin working on the Traverse City area’s long and short-term transportation plans, which are slated to be developed by the end of 2026. There are notable funding benefits to forming an MPO, including an increase in federal Surface Transportation Program funds from $385,000 to $1 million annually and an estimated $228,000 in annual Consolidated Planning Grant funds (replacing a current $23,000 allocation), plus the ability to go for “specific grants that only MPOs can go after,” says Rob Carson of Networks Northwest, which will provide staffing and administrative support to the MPO.

Numerous entities have already agreed to participate in the MPO, which will be the fourteenth in Michigan and the only one north of Midland. BATA, Elmwood Township, the Leelanau County Road Commission, East Bay Township, Garfield Township, Green Lake Township, Blair Township, Acme Township, Long Lake Township, the Leelanau County commission, and the Grand Traverse County Road Commission (GTCRC) have all approved the agreement. GTCRC was torn on its decision last week, voting 3-2 (with Road Commissioners Jason Gillman and Alan Leman opposed) to approve the resolution to join. Some road commissioners wanted to see the MPO use a weighted voting system for decision-making, with members like the Road Commission getting up to four votes and other members fewer. However, each member will get one vote under the proposed bylaws. Road commissioners added a sunset clause to their agreement that allows them to exit the MPO in January 2025 unless they vote to renew their participation, a move they said would allow them to check in next year and decide if they want to continue on.

GTCRC’s vote to join means there are now enough entities participating for the MPO to officially form (the City of Traverse City, which is voting to join on Monday, could also have pushed the MPO across the finish line if GTCRC had opted out). More eligible members could still come on board, including Whitewater Township, Peninsula Township, Bingham Township, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Carson says he hopes to see as many entities as possible involved in the MPO to improve regional collaboration and extend the funding benefits to as many local communities as possible.

While eligible members aren’t required to join – those who do must pay annual dues and actively participate in meetings, among other requirements under the intergovernmental agreement – Carson says the benefits to doing so are “immense.” Not joining can also jeopardize federal funding for certain projects; for example, state officials have indicated GTCRC would have “no chance” at federal funding for a proposed Hartman-Hammond bypass if not participating in the MPO, Carson says.

Next steps in the process will be continuing to sign on more eligible members and sending the proposed MPO agreement to the governor’s desk for approval this fall. That could potentially allow the MPO to get up and running by the start of Michigan’s new fiscal year, which is October 1, Carson says.

Kingsley Facility
County commissioners will vote today on a resolution to pledge the county’s full faith and credit and notice an intent to issue bonds for up to $12 million for GTCRC to build a new facility in Kingsley.

The new facility, which has been in the works for years, would “include, but is not limited to, a main building for storage of plow trucks and heavy equipment, a shop and administrative offices, a salt storage facility, vehicle wash, fuel island, unpaved storage area, paved storage area, together with all related work, facilities, site work parking improvements, furnishings, equipment and appurtenances, and related facilities necessary or incidental” to the facility, according to the bond resolution.

GTCRC would be responsible for making the bond payments. The county is required to go through a 45-day period in which voters could petition to put the bonds on the ballot. If that doesn’t occur, the bonds can then be issued.

Probation Officers
Finally, commissioners will consider a request from 86th District Court today to add two full-time probation officers to be shared between Grand Traverse, Leelanau, and Antrim counties. In a memo, 86th District Court Administrator Gwen Taylor noted that the court voluntarily reduced its probation department staff in 2021 in response to the state’s Jail Reduction Act, legislation that was supposed to create a decline in probation numbers.

“However, the projected reduction in probation cases because of the new law did not materialize,” Taylor wrote. “The result has been an unmanageable increase in caseloads for the three general probation officers. The average caseload for these probation officers increased from 114 to 210 cases/probation officer. The impact of this change is increased concerns about public safety, poorer outcomes for rehabilitation, and increased recidivism. In addition, the workload has made the job of our general probation officers nearly unbearable because they are unable to keep pace.”

According to court materials, current probation officers are so overworked they cannot “work proactively with defendants struggling with personal or behavioral issues,” “cannot have regular communication with therapists or other treatment providers to ensure participation or address potential problematic behavior,” and “cannot react to probation violations in a timely fashion to protect public safety.” The latter means officers aren't reacting to “positive alcohol tests in a timely fashion for OWI offenders” or issuing “probation violations for violating no-contact orders in domestic violence/stalking offenses in a timely fashion,” the materials state.

The annual cost of two full-time probation officer positions for 2023 is $156,396.71, according to Taylor’s memo. Grand Traverse County would be responsible for $114,951.58 (73.5 percent), Antrim $24,241.49 (15.5 percent), and Leelanau $14,203.64 (11 percent). Taylor is asking for the staffing change to go into effect immediately since “the caseload of the general probation officers is at such a critical level they are not able to timely address public safety concerns and properly manage caseloads.”